What Proposal 1 proposes: Medical marijuana for Michigan

Opponents claim that Proposal 1 will make it easier to abuse marijuana. Supporters say it’s a compassionate measure that will offer the sick and dying a new means of comfort.

By now, many of us know that Proposal 1 is intended to legalize medical marijuana in Michigan and will be on the Nov. 4 ballot.

Let’s take look at the specifics:

Under Proposal 1, Michigan doctors would have the authority to approve the use of marijuana for patients suffering from various illnesses that cause severe and chronic pain, such as HIV, AIDS, hepatitis C, cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, and muscle spasms/seizures.

But ultimately, the Michigan Department of Community Health (DCH) would have the final say about who can use marijuana legally.

The DCH would issue registration cards or permits for users and growers so that law enforcement agencies would know who’s legit and who’s not. Patients who are registered to use marijuana by the DCH will be allowed have up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana in their possession.

Registered growers will be allowed to cultivate “limited amounts” of the plant in a “locked facility” for the patients.

Unlike California’s law, Michigan’s Proposal 1 does not allow for public dispensaries, known to some as “pot shops.” Instead, the drug would be regulated through the government by the DCH and the health care system by doctors who approve it.

The proposal also provides severe consequences for people who try to use fake DCH permits or doctors’ notes to abuse or deal the drug.

If Proposal 1 passes, Michigan will be the 13th state to legalize medical marijuana, following Alaska, Washington, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Last year almost a half of a million voters signed petitions distributed by the Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care to get the medical marijuana on the ballot. That’s about 200,000 more than the 304,000 signatures needed to get an issue on the ballot in Michigan.

Marijuana has not always been illegal in the U.S. In fact, it was commonly used for medicinal purposes until the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, which discouraged users through increased taxes. Of course, cocaine was not always illegal, either, and was also used for medicinal and therapeutic purposes.

It wasn’t until 1970 that marijuana was criminalized with the passage of the U.S. Controlled Substances Act, which states that marijuana has no accepted medical use and has a high potential for abuse.

Supporters say an important thing for voters to keep in mind is that even if Proposal 1 passes, it won’t affect most of our lives. Marijuana will still be illegal unless you have a severe medical condition.

Will it make it easier to abuse marijuana? Well, that’s up for debate. Some parts of the proposal are vague regarding growing the plant and it actually doesn’t call for a prescription, just a doctor’s approval.

In any case, right now it seems that marijuana is already being abused by countless users nationwide, regardless of whether the law says medical patients can use it or not.

Further complicating the issue, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will still have power to crack down on “legal” users in Michigan if the initiative passes. So, even those who are pro-medical marijuana should understand that a change in state law does not protect patients from federal prosecution.

And vocal opponents such as Judge Bill Schuette, a member of the Michigan Court of Appeals, and Dr. Daniel Michael a Detroit neurosurgeon, worry that Proposal 1 sends the wrong message to impressionable children.

In a Detroit News editorial they co-wrote, they assert:

“…the battle to keep kids away from drugs becomes much more difficult when drugs become legally accessible and adults start calling them “medicine.”